Two more women accuse Bill Cosby of assault in 1970s

Katie Reilly

3 Min Read

Actor Bill Cosby speaks at the National Action Network's 20th annual Keepers of the Dream Awards gala in New York April 6, 2011. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Two more women came forward on Thursday to accuse Bill Cosby of sexually assaulting them in the 1970s, joining dozens of others who have made similar accusations against the veteran television star.

The women appeared at a news conference with celebrity attorney Gloria Allred, who is representing many of the more than 40 women who have said Cosby drugged and assaulted them.

Charlotte Fox said Cosby, 78, sexually assaulted her at the Playboy Mansion in Los Angeles in the 1970s, when she was a 23-year-old aspiring actress.

“When I heard the other women, I said: ‘Oh my God, that is what happened to me.’ I could not believe it,” Fox said.

The second woman, who was only identified by her first name Elizabeth, said she was a 20-year-old flight attendant when Cosby drugged and sexually assaulted her in his hotel room in 1976.

The two women shared their stories alongside Sarita Butterfield, who had previously accused Cosby of groping her at his family home.

Representatives for Cosby, whose career and image have been damaged by the numerous allegations, said they had no comment on the new allegations.

Cosby has never been criminally charged and most of the allegations cannot be prosecuted because of the statute of limitations. His lawyers have denied wrongdoing on his part.

In a separate case, Allred said she hoped to get answers from the former star of the 1980s comedy series “The Cosby Show” in a deposition set for Oct. 9.

Cosby has been ordered to appear for the deposition in a lawsuit brought by another of Allred’s clients, Judy Huth, who said Cosby sexually abused her at the Playboy Mansion in 1974. She was 15 at the time and is seeking damages.

The deposition will be the first time Cosby testifies under oath in response to a complaint of sexual misconduct since a deposition he gave in a separate case settled out of court nine years ago.

“After his long period of public silence, we would hope that he would welcome this opportunity to testify fully and completely and give his side of the story,” Allred said on Thursday.

She said she had no reason to believe Cosby would not appear for the deposition and that she planned to ask any questions relevant to the discovery of evidence in Huth’s lawsuit.